iPhone SE (2016) would a gen1 SE be worth replacing battery on?

[treeroy]

I've been considering getting rid of my 12 and going back to using my 2016 iphone SE as my main phone. I keep the SE around for use as a music player (since it has the rare AUX PORT!). I originally upgraded from the SE to the 12 due to the poor battery life. But now that my 12 is 18 months old, its battery life has severely depleted and it no longer lasts a day. I'm wondering whether to get rid of the phone and get a new battery in the SE.

The battery life in the SE says it is at 87% health, which is the same as my 12, also at 87% (which seems crazy as one is 6 years old, the other is 1 year old!). Both phones seem a lot worse battery wise than they were when I bought them. Would a battery replacement in the SE be worth it? Or with up to date ios 15 and up to date apps (I use phone for spotify, youtube and social media) is the SE always going to be drained quickly?

 

[Apple_Robert]

I see nothing wrong with getting the battery replaced on your SE, especially since you still use it.

 

[dathomso]

Best $49 I ever spent...

 

[eyoungren]

I've been considering getting rid of my 12 and going back to using my 2016 iphone SE as my main phone. I keep the SE around for use as a music player (since it has the rare AUX PORT!). I originally upgraded from the SE to the 12 due to the poor battery life. But now that my 12 is 18 months old, its battery life has severely depleted and it no longer lasts a day. I'm wondering whether to get rid of the phone and get a new battery in the SE.

The battery life in the SE says it is at 87% health, which is the same as my 12, also at 87% (which seems crazy as one is 6 years old, the other is 1 year old!). Both phones seem a lot worse battery wise than they were when I bought them. Would a battery replacement in the SE be worth it? Or with up to date ios 15 and up to date apps (I use phone for spotify, youtube and social media) is the SE always going to be drained quickly?

It would be worth it to me. But then again, I own an iPhone 6s+ as a secondary phone (with an active line) and I had the battery replaced after six years in November 2021. So take that as you will

I use my 6s+ mainly to stream music when walking although it's served well for a week as my primary again when I needed to replace my 11 Pro Max (which is my primary iPhone).

I say get it replaced. Apple will eventually stop working on older phones and then your only option will be DIY or a third party.

 

[Spetsgruppa]

if i were you,i would replace both batteries.

 

[Andeddu]

I have downgraded to the SE1 from a 12 Mini and have been using it for 3 months. I will continue with my SE1 until October before reverting back to the 12 Mini. The SE1 is still a good performer on iOS 15.5. It’s obviously not as smooth with the animations when scrolling but it’ll still do pretty much anything the newer phones can do. I would personally change both batteries otherwise consider using the MagSafe Battery Pack on your Mini.

My Mini’s battery health was sitting at 84% when I stopped using it and it could hardly last half a day. With the MagSafe accessory, it can comfortably be used for an entire day.

 

[treeroy]

I have downgraded to the SE1 from a 12 Mini and have been using it for 3 months. I will continue with my SE1 until October before reverting back to the 12 Mini. The SE1 is still a good performer on iOS 15.5. It’s obviously not as smooth with the animations when scrolling but it’ll still do pretty much anything the newer phones can do. I would personally change both batteries otherwise consider using the MagSafe Battery Pack on your Mini.

My Mini’s battery health was sitting at 84% when I stopped using it and it could hardly last half a day. With the MagSafe accessory, it can comfortably be used for an entire day.

i was actually thinking of selling the 12. I feel that i shouldnt have to pay for a battery replacement when i'm not even out of my contract yet. just really disappointed with the phone.

i updated the SE1 to ios 15 yesterday and today it's using even more battery than previously lol.

I see that battery replacements are cheap so im gonna try it

 

[Andeddu]

i was actually thinking of selling the 12. I feel that i shouldnt have to pay for a battery replacement when i'm not even out of my contract yet. just really disappointed with the phone.

i updated the SE1 to ios 15 yesterday and today it's using even more battery than previously lol.

I see that battery replacements are cheap so im gonna try it

The 12 is a great phone minus the quality of the battery. I would personally replace the battery as the SE will no longer be supported after September.

The value of your 12 will also be diminished if the buyer will have to replace the battery so you might consider an Apple trade in for a new 13 which has a much improved battery. The 12 line has the worst battery of any iPhone ever made and there has been a lot of complaints about it on this forum.

 

[mk313]

The only thing I'd add to the conversation is check which bands your cellular carrier uses & see if the original SE has all the same ones that the 12 does. I'm on T Mo & the 12 added band 66 & 71 that weren't on the original SE. Those make a pretty large difference in my ability to make calls, use data, so although the original SE is my favorite phone ever, I don't think I could go back to it.

 

[karatekidk]

Best $49 I ever spent...

Agreed! I had a battery replacement back in December and am glad I did. The SE does all I need to do, and I just love the size. For all the productive work, I use my 2020 MBP and the 8th gen iPad.

 

[ndouglas]

I agree that the size is very appealing. I wish we still had the option for it. That said, personally I think the ship has long sailed if someone is planning to use a 2016 phone in mid/late 2022, for anything much beyond a music player. I’d love to hear the OP report otherwise, after trying it for 3 months or even 3 weeks, but I am skeptical that it could be used as a main phone after all this time.

 

[wordsworth]

I use mine as my main (and, in fact, only) smart phone. I am a basic user. Talk, text, occasional internet and occasional photos. No e-mail. I don't want to be wired to work except for when I am asleep. My phone is my personal tool, not a work tool.

 

[Andeddu]

I agree that the size is very appealing. I wish we still had the option for it. That said, personally I think the ship has long sailed if someone is planning to use a 2016 phone in mid/late 2022, for anything much beyond a music player. I’d love to hear the OP report otherwise, after trying it for 3 months or even 3 weeks, but I am skeptical that it could be used as a main phone after all this time.

I am a heavy user and I have an SE’16. I use it for Netflix/Disney+ & YouTube, WhatsApp instant messenger, Skype, web-browsing, emails, banking, Apple Wallet, music, podcasts, FaceTime, along with other things such as playing simple games like Among Us. You’d be surprised how well it performs on 15.6. I have a 12 Mini but I have chosen to use the SE’16 over it. I ditched the 12 Mini in mid April and have been using this SE since then for almost 4 months and haven’t looked back. The only noticeable letdown is the rear camera which is poor by today’s lofty standards.

 

[wordsworth]

Further to my earlier post about my original SE, I very recently bought a 2022 model SE for my wife who'd been labouring with a 5c and failing battery until I persuaded her to 'get a phone like mine'. I hadn't realised that the SE had evolved in size (and in other ways, of course) quite so much. I'd been under the illusion that it was pretty much the same phone as the 2016, other than the tech inside. The various talk of the SE 2022 being today's 'small iPhone' option gave me the wrong impression.

The latest SE is a very nice phone, photos look good, the larger screen is a bonus and it's pretty responsive, but the unergonomic aspect is its weak spot for me. Its thinner design and curved edges mean that I have found it less easy to grasp it securely. The original SE is an excellent handset: smaller, thicker and with actual edges to help establish a good grip. And you can't beat the original for handy, pocket-sided user-friendliness. I'll stick with mine happily until it no longer functions well enough for my needs.

Nice to see it paid tribute to in the photo above.

 

[ndouglas]

I am a heavy user and I have an SE’16. I use it for Netflix/Disney+ & YouTube, WhatsApp instant messenger, Skype, web-browsing, emails, banking, Apple Wallet, music, podcasts, FaceTime, along with other things such as playing simple games like Among Us. You’d be surprised how well it performs on 15.6. I have a 12 Mini but I have chosen to use the SE’16 over it. I ditched the 12 Mini in mid April and have been using this SE since then for almost 4 months and haven’t looked back. The only noticeable letdown is the rear camera which is poor by today’s lofty standards.

View attachment 2041903

Wow that’s great! I’m happy to hear that. Nice looking phone for sure!

 

[ndouglas]

The latest SE is a very nice phone, photos look good, the larger screen is a bonus and it's pretty responsive, but the unergonomic aspect is its weak spot for me. Its thinner design and curved edges mean that I have found it less easy to grasp it securely. The original SE is an excellent handset: smaller, thicker and with actual edges to help establish a good grip. And you can't beat the original for handy, pocket-sided user-friendliness. I'll stick with mine happily until it no longer functions well enough for my needs.

Nice to see it paid tribute to in the photo above.

—-^ very true and well written distinction, I think. Having used the larger SE 2020 for 2 years now, what you describe above rings true for my memories of 5+ years using the iphone 3GS and 4s. I never got to use the specific size phone of the SE 2016 but I can readily imagine it’s very good.
Funny to think how much smaller my SE (2020) size is than Iphone 11, 12, 13, etc. and yet I STILL have to use the “reachability” on a regular basis. It’s a nice feature to have; not needing to use it would be a better feature.